Endemol Shine, Boomdog link in Lat Am

L-R: Laurens Drillich, Cris Abrego and Alejandro Rincon

Endemol Shine Latino (ESL) has partnered with a Mexico City-based prodco to launch a Spanish-language studio that will produce original content for the US Hispanic and Mexican TV markets.

ESL is joining forces with Boomdog to form Endemol Shine Boomdog, which will focus on original production of both scripted and unscripted content.

Boomdog CEO Alejandro Rincon will serve as CEO of Endemol Shine Boomdog, reporting to ESL president Laurens Drillich, who oversees all of Endemol Shine’s business operations in Latin America.

Boomdog and ESL have been coproducing series in the region together for several years, including scripted show El Vato for Universo plus unscripted series Gran Hermano for Telemundo and MasterChef Mexico for TV Azteca.

The duo also developed forthcoming drama series Nicky Jam: El Ganador for Telemundo, and recently teamed up with Somos Productions and Piñolywood Studios to produce a drama based on Latin boy band Menudo.

Boomdog, which is also known for hit Mexican shows such as HBO talker Chumel con Chumel Torres, was founded by Rincon and Carlos Perna in 1997 in Venezuela and arrived in Mexico in 2007.

Cris Abrego, CEO of ESL parent Endemol Shine North America, said: “We’ve enjoyed a great relationship and great success with the team at Boomdog over the last several years and quickly realised that joining forces could take both of our operations to the next level.”

“Alejandro and the Boomdog team are unquestionably the leading independent producers in Mexico and we’re truly excited about what our joint teams will be able to accomplish together.”

Drillich added that it “makes all the sense in the world to combine our Mexican and US Hispanic operations, since that border, contrary to what some think, hardly exists. And to do so with Boomdog only makes it better.”

Rincon said the companies “have two tremendous teams in both Miami and Mexico” and were now “poised to be the independent leader in both the US Hispanic market and in Mexico.”

ESL has been ramping up operations over the past 12 months and recently announced three forthcoming snows with Telemundo, including the first Spanish-language version of MasterChef in the US, which will be known as MasterChef Latino.

Abrego took sole leadership of the company’s businesses across the US and Latin America as CEO of Endemol Shine North America and chairman of Endemol Shine Americas last year after the exit of Charlie Corwin.